So, it looks like Scott Brown is going to run for New Hampshire-SEN.

Anybody surprised by this?

Former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., will launch an exploratory committee to run for Senate against Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in neighboring New Hampshire, CBS News’ John Dickerson and Nancy Cordes have learned, giving the Republican Party hope for a pickup as they push for a Senate majority in November.

Scott Brown’s website has been parked in full Watch This Space mode since between last December and this February: and the carpetbagging issue is not actually as much of an issue as people might think…

The carpetbagging thing is a problem, but you’d be hard pressed to find a state where it matters less. Something like 60 percent (and growing) of the state’s residents are from somewhere else. The last four governors were from another state — the last two from Massachusetts. With carpetbagging Bob Smith in the race also, Brown wouldn’t bear the burden alone. There is something of a fun twist to this question in this race. Senator Jeanne Shaheen was born in Missouri and raised in Pennsylvania and now sits at the Daniel Webster desk on the Senate floor. Webster was a New Hampshire native, who represented Massachusetts in the Senate.

…so don’t be surprised when the man announces that he’s running tomorrow, OK?

Moe Lane

PS: Can Scott Brown win?  I don’t know: how much money does the Democratic party feel like spending to keep Jeanne Shaheen in that seat? – Because they’re going to have to spend some money now, ya, you betcha.  Seriously, this opens up yet another front for the GOP in November, and the Democrats are already scrambling to protect what they consider too many seats as it is.  At this point, ‘reasonably safe’ for Democrats has been pushed back so far into their own territory that people like me are now idly assessing seats like Hawaii.

Hawaii.

15 thoughts on “So, it looks like Scott Brown is going to run for New Hampshire-SEN.”

  1. Scott Brown will lose ( he will lose by a smaller margin then those currently running would but still lose)
    Instead of this long drawn out striptease ( he is just now forming an exploratory committee) the NRSC should’ve tried to get Sen. John Sununu to change his mind or U.S. Rep Frank Guinta to switch races and run for Senate instead of House. Both are far more Conservative then Brown and more electable.
    Brown will be wedge issued to death over the 2nd Amendment.
    He’s the next Tommy Thompson.

  2. Will the NRSC finally recruit Djou for Senate or wimp out and shuffle him over to be the NRCC’s problem?
    Meanwhile they’ll continue to embarrass themselves on twitter attacking conservative challengers more often then Democrats.

  3. Shaheen and Smith aren’t from MA. ( Smith having originally lived in NH and served as Senator)

    Brown is. NH popularized the term “masshole”
    Thanks NRSC for spending all of this time on Scott Brown instead of John Sununu.

    2. “Pudding” Brown isn’t great, but *since Sununu didn’t want it*, how do you propose to get a more conservative “republican” elected?
      .
      Mew

      1. If not Sununu, then convince Frank Guinta to stop running for House and run for Senate instead.
        It shouldn’t be that hard. Both are more conservative then Brown and more electable.
        It’s clear the NRSC spent a lot of effort getting Brown to commit more so then Sununu or Guinta.

        1. Hey midwestconservative, long time no see.

          To get back to topic, we’re dealing with the east coast, granted I’m just looking at this from the perspective of being just outside Washington DC for an internship, but they are very different from much of the rest of the country.

          They could tell I wasn’t from the area because I was “too polite” or “too nice.” A lot of people in the population centers of the east coast states (ie NY MD, MA, etc.) are very liberal.

          I think more conservative candidates are stronger in places where people aren’t as prone to drinking the kool-aid (such as OH, IN, KY, WV, TN, TX, MS, AL, etc.), if Scott Brown actually succeeds in winning that race, it would keep that senate seat out of a far-left screwball’s hands.

          1. You are conflating NH with the rest of New England. The “Live Free or Die” State has been an Island of Conservatism in the Northeast.
            They have one of the most anti-tax, pro-gun electorates ever. Brown is decidedly less then ideal to run in such a state.

  4. Part of me says he’ll be a great candidate because he’s a serious guy who, for better or worse, represents the North East better then my platonic ideal.
    –
    Part of me says he’ll be a bad candidate because he’s a Republican from Mass who had to take a bunch of positions he may or may not actually believe in order to be competitive there and is now running in a much different state. How will he reconcile his Mass positions with the electorate of NH? I know NH is farther left than it used to be, but it still isn’t Mass. Plus there’s the retread factor. “Mass didn’t want me, but NH will just LOVE me!”
    –
    Here’s hoping he can at the very least make this a VERY costly race for the Dems.

    1. NH isn’t that far left, their Cook PVI is D+1, same as Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Minnesota.

      Ayotte ran as a Tea Partier in 2010 and carried every county and over 60% of the vote.

      1. You might be better informed as to the political environment of NH than I am.
        –
        In any case, the worst this makes it so Democrats have to defend yet another Senate seat. Scott Brown isn’t likely to make gafs that could undercut candidates in other states. He will support any attempt to get rid of Obamacare (remember he won that special election promising to be the 41st vote to block Obamacare from passing).

        1. I’m perfectly happy with Brown forcing Dems to spend money here, the problem is he won’t beat Shaheen because of his support of an Assault Weapons ban.

          I’ll defend his privilege to lose, but he’ll still lose.
          I’d prefer the opportunity to win.

          1. I’d prefer the opportunity to win too, I’m just looking at the bigger picture. If Scott Brown can tie up enough of the Democrats’ resources so that we can win a race or two in other states, I’m not going to complain.

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